WHAT
WE DO
Learn about the Tim Brauch Foundation's many nonprofit programs.
MISSION & VISION.
To create scholarship and leadership programs that reward those who show self-respect, and meet challenges with perseverance, independence, creativity and integrity and an interactive youth art program in hospitals and under-served schools. Skateboarding and art were loved by Tim!
Scholarship Program
The Tim Brauch Foundation offers scholarships to Woodward West, the premier action sports training camp and facility in Tehachapi, California.
Fundraising Projects
The Tim Brauch Foundation has also been involved in other projects, such as helping to raise over $400,000 for the Tim Brauch Memorial Skatepark, which opened in Scotts Valley in 2004.
Junior Board Members
Our Junior Board provides skill-building experiences in event planning, fundraising, grant writing and more for junior high and high school-aged kids.
Skate Contests
The Tim Brauch Foundation annual Bowl and Street Contests are great events that honor Tim's spirit and also serve as the primary fundraisers for the nonprofit.
Interactive Art Program
The Interactive Art Connection exists to enrich the lives of children and Bay Area communities through art.
Industry Partnerships
Our skate contests and scholarship program are made possible with support from our amazing industry partners.
SKATE
CONTESTS.
THE BOWL
CONTEST.
The Tim Brauch Foundation annual Bowl and Street Contests are great events that honor Tim's spirit and also serve as the primary fundraisers for the nonprofit.
Our annual Bowl Contest is one of the largest professional bowl contests in Northern California and is a stop on the World Cup Tour.
The bowl contest also draws in thousands of spectators and showcases some of the world’s top professional skateboarders including Steve Caballero, Christian Hosoi, Lester Kasai, Eddie Elguera, and many more. The Tim Brauch Foundation is also excited that the womens categories in both Pro and Amateur continues to grow! The contest also allows the opportunity for up and coming amateurs to showcase their talents by allowing top ams to participate along with the pro’s in the main event.
THE STREET
CONTEST.
The annual street contest serves as a springboard for up and coming athletes. Many past winners of the Street Contest are now top Pro Skaters like Emmanuel Guzman, Raven Tershy, and Nyjah Huston.
The Tim Brauch Foundation uses the funds raised from this event to provide outreach programs in action sports by sending kids to Woodward West.
This program offers a value-based leadership curriculum that enhances the participants experience by promoting self-respect, meeting challenges with perseverance, independence, creativity and integrity, all while participating in an outdoor sport camp environment and therefore supporting an active lifestyle.
Woodward West
WOODWARD WEST is a premier skateboard camp located in Stallion Springs, California situated in the Tehachapi Mountains. Skaters have upwards of 2 hours a day of personal training from staff. They move into 9 hours a day to work on all things they have learned with skaters at their general level. They compete in contests and have other fun ways to improve their skills. Basically, they skate all day in parks that feature quarter pipes and rails to the Mega Ramp. Hanging out with Pro's and industry people in addition to the training is a recipe for success.
The TIM BRAUCH FOUNDATION believes that when kids are physically active and are engaged in a positive value based leadership program like WOODWARD WEST skateboard camp, the more they will integrate and utilize the benefits of character building, independence and initiative skills in all areas of their lives. The TIM BRAUCH FOUNDATION also believes that WOODWARD WEST has similar core values and has positive adult and teen role models.
INTERACTIVE
ART CONNECTION.
The Interactive Art Connection exists to enrich the lives of children and Bay Area communities through art. Focusing on improving the lives of hospitalized children by providing one-on-one instruction/attention, engaging their creative individuality while including them in hospital-community-wide art installations! This journey is a guided art adventure which instills confidence in children's artistic skills, exposure to the process/creation of art installations, and a sense of ownership/community connection within their hospital environment. We give the kids something new to explore when they've experienced/exhausted all the resources already made available to them.
The Tim Brauch Foundation through Scott Greathouse brings enthusiastic art action along with some much needed normalcy, no medical talk, only fun-filled engagement and upbeat art-learning conversation. Our process is tried and true. We know the difference we make, we have experienced the joy (which is a two-way street) and see the need for cool new things for kids to do. From short-stay to extended-stay, the need is there. It's our mission to fulfill this need.
“Our first-string artist on the hospital front is Scotty Greathouse. Scotty is an accomplished artist out of Santa Cruz, CA who has completed work large and small throughout the Bay Area. Known by his peers for having a keen angle for collaboration and some amazingly fun new approaches for interactive art projects, working with children has been his main focus. His creative direction has made the Stanford interactive art project a hit with the kids due to employing his camera-projector, his mobile art-cart full of creative tools, his ever-so-present attention and plethora of acrylic paint pens (which the children find exotic) accompanied by positive new art techniques.”
The Interactive Art Connection has a second focus regarding another need we have discovered. Over the years we have found that public schools and certain underserved establishments have either extremely limited "environmental arts" budgets, or no budget at all. It's these public institutions, whose budgets are challenged, are the ones who need it the most. A pleasing environment and appealing aesthetic is essential for children's health and welfare. We bring custom artistic mural work into these communities list of can-do's. We know that a spirit-lifting, vibrantly-colored mural benefits the mental health of all who encounter it. Adding elements of nature and positivity to a scene full of graffiti-buffed beige makes a HUGE difference. We create murals that are interactive with the kids so they can share pride and ownership - while having the glow of creation's ability to say "I painted that!" or "I designed that!". We aim to inspire, empower and encourage! We are driven to expose as many kids as possible to art process and exploration!!
What's the connection with the Tim Brauch Foundation?
The Interactive Art Connection is comprised of artists/instructors who have spent either childhood days upon skateboards, or still ride today with full immersion in the skateboarding art community. Scotty Greathouse, for instance, was a dear friend of Tim's who always aligned with Tim's values and shared the same caring outlook for future generations. Some comparisons are that Tim always went out of his way for the kids, showing them how important they are by devoting QUALITY time to them, time that they deserve; Time spent that multiplies their sense of self-worth, knowledge base and creativity levels. Tim knew how important a simple hello, the gift of a sticker or just some respectful interaction was to the kids... and we pay the same responsibility forward. Tim was super into art, always drawing characters or scenery to express his thoughts, feelings and travels... Our mission is right alongside him there, always creating, always sharing the love and pure freedom that art provides.
Tim spent some time dealing with doctors and hospitals when he was a kid, due to the diagnosis of his Wolf-Parkinson's condition; Scotty, who spearheaded our hospital presence, also spent time in the hospital when he was a kid (as a sibling recalling seemingly endless stays) due to his sister's rare leg disease. Both Tim and Scotty experienced the hospital atmosphere first hand, knowing that any fun thing thrown into the mix was an absolute treat and positive thought shifter. The happiness we have extended thus far, instills a drive in us that is beyond words. In closing, we think Tim would be stoked on the work that the Interactive Art Connection is doing with these kids and we sure are honored to be doing work in the name of GOOD through the Tim Brauch foundation. The focus we share is instrumental: enhancing the lives of children, adding positive experiences by meeting new art challenges with perseverance, individuality, creativity and integrity.
JUNIOR BOARD
PROGRAM.
The Junior Board Mentoring Program was developed to help support future community leaders. Board Members train the Junior Board Members to initiate new avenues of support for young students interested in giving back, community leadership and careers in the highly competitive field of business and nonprofits. Every Junior Board Member is an ambassador for the TIM BRAUCH FOUNDATION and are called BEANS (Tim's nick name) and they strive to positively represent the organization in the best possible ways.
Junior Board Members or BEANS actively serve the TIM BRAUCH FOUNDATION throughout the year learning everything from how to read a balance sheet to showing them the ropes in event and fundraising management. Junior Board Members or BEANS are excellent role models with strong academics. Tenured Junior Board Members demonstrate the rewards of goals attained to the newer Junior Board members with determination and perseverance, unusual in today's world of instant gratification, and imperative to becoming both a successful leader and a contributing member of society.
In return, The TIM BRAUCH FOUNDATION promises to:
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Provide BEANS the opportunity for meaningful and rewarding service to our mission and community.
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Provide BEANS the opportunity for significant professional development and social networking opportunities. -
Provide members with the information they need to be effective members. -
Respond to the best of our ability to BEANS questions and concerns. -
Encourage BEANS feedback and criticism. -
Do our utmost to be an organization THAT KICKS ASS.
